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<h1><a href="https://archiveofourown.org/works/23032846">Worst Moment</a> by <a class='authorlink' href='https://archiveofourown.org/users/getonmywave/pseuds/getonmywave'>getonmywave</a></h1>

<table class="full">

<tr><td><b>Category:</b></td><td>Iron Man (Movies), Marvel Cinematic Universe</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Genre:</b></td><td>Love Confessions, M/M</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Language:</b></td><td>English</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Status:</b></td><td>Completed</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Published:</b></td><td>2020-03-06</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Updated:</b></td><td>2020-03-06</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Packaged:</b></td><td>2021-05-01 13:35:41</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Rating:</b></td><td>Teen And Up Audiences</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Warnings:</b></td><td>No Archive Warnings Apply</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Chapters:</b></td><td>1</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Words:</b></td><td>924</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Publisher:</b></td><td>archiveofourown.org</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Story URL:</b></td><td>https://archiveofourown.org/works/23032846</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Author URL:</b></td><td>https://archiveofourown.org/users/getonmywave/pseuds/getonmywave</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Summary:</b></td><td><div class="userstuff">
              <p>Clint drops those three words at the most awkward moment possible.</p>
            </div></td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Relationships:</b></td><td>Clint Barton/Tony Stark</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Comments:</b></td><td>7</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Kudos:</b></td><td>93</td></tr>

</table>

<a name="section0001"><h2>Worst Moment</h2></a>
<div class="story"><div class="fff_chapter_notes fff_head_notes"><b>Author's Note:</b><blockquote class="userstuff">
      <p>Cliche as all hell, but I love it anyway.</p>
    </blockquote></div><div class="userstuff module">
    
    <p>
  <span>"I love you."</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Three foolish words, and he had to go and mutter them at the worst possible time. The sex was great, as it always was, and then Clint went and ruined it by </span>
  <em>
    <span>declaring his love </span>
  </em>
  <span>for Tony in the sweaty moments of post-coital bliss.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Tony went utterly white at the words. There was no questioning the horror in those dreamy dark eyes of his. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>"Tony, I'm sorry… I didn't mean…"</span>
</p><p>
  <span>"No, it's okay," Tony immediately replied. "Clint, it's okay. I need air."</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Clint watched, aghast, as Tony headed out onto the balcony. He rolled over and covered his head with a pillow. He was such an idiot.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>It was way too soon to be going around saying things like that, especially after sex. What the hell had he been thinking? Unfortunately, he really </span>
  <em>
    <span>hadn't</span>
  </em>
  <span> been thinking. The romantic side of him had taken over, and he'd done a stupid, ridiculous thing. He was such an idiot. Now, things were probably ruined with Tony. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>It wasn't that he didn't feel it, though…</span>
</p><p>
  <span>He had totally, undoubtedly, fallen in love with Tony Stark. What had started as a fling, a little stress relief between friends had turned into absolute adoration. He was in love with Tony Stark, and no amount of hiding it was going to work.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Clint covered his face with his pillow. It was a dramatic reaction, especially for a grown man, but he couldn't help it. He was such an idiot, and he was starting to hate himself. There was no way that Tony would ever forgive him for that. A sinking suspicion was growing in his gut that he had ruined the perfect thing that he and Tony had. He'd pushed it too far, and now he was never going to get to touch the genius again.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>He was still in bed, the pillow over his head, when he heard the footsteps of Tony's return. Clint whined against the pillow, afraid to look up and face Tony. His face heated red. He should have run out as soon as the idiot thing happened.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>The bed dipped as Tony sat on it. Clint sighed and took down the pillow, meeting with those sweet eyes.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>"Clint…" Tony said gently.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>"I'm sorry," Clint spat out. "I didn't mean to go there. It just slipped out. I was hazy and just a little…" Clint stopped. A little what? How could he justify it? Could he really say that he was just a little </span>
  <em>
    <span>fuck-drunk </span>
  </em>
  <span>and unable to tell the difference between being satisfied and in love? It seemed like such a lame-ass excuse.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>"I'm the one that should be sorry," Tony said, shaking his head. Clint sat up in bed, and Tony immediately took him by the hand. "I heard you say those words, and I had a temporary panic. I couldn't think straight. I just…I struggle with stuff like that, you know? I didn't mean to offend you…"</span>
</p><p>
  <span>"Offend me?" Clint asked, marveling at that. "You didn't offend me. You made me feel like an idiot who just tossed out the best thing to happen to him in ages, but you didn't…god, you didn't offend me. I feel like I was so stupid to-"</span>
</p><p>
  <span>"I love you too."</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Clint looked up, nearly falling off of the bed in an attempt to get closer.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>"What?"</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Tony cupped Clint's cheek with a gentle hand, firmness, and clarity in his eyes that had not been there before.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>"You heard me, Barton," he said with a playful smirk. "I, Anthony Edward Stark, love you, Clinton Francis Barton."</span>
</p><p>
  <span>"Did you have to use my middle name?" Clint asked, still in shock. He didn't mean to make such a lame joke, but that was his thing. He deflected when he was nervous and Tony has left him very, very nervous. "I mean, I've always kinda hated that…"</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Tony responded by kissing him. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>The kiss was different than any other that they had shared. It was gentle and sweet, which wasn't new, but there was also desperation, a sort of speaking that took Clint's breath away. He felt like they were having a conversation through their quiet, desperate kiss. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>"I didn't mean to run away from you," Tony apologized, once the kiss didn't say enough. "I just needed to breathe, to think. I mean, I gotta be honest Clint. The idea of you actually, you know, loving me; it scares me half to death. I don't know how to cope with it."</span>
</p><p>
  <span>"It's scary," Clint agrees. "I know. I didn't really think it was possible for me to feel this way about someone. My relationships have been a giant list of failures… I never was able to let myself go enough to have someone right there, but you …you're different."</span>
</p><p>
  <span>"How?"</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Clint laughed at that because, honestly, he wasn't sure. He had thought he was in love before, but there was something about Tony that stood apart from the rest. Clint nuzzled into the genius, closing his eyes and allowing himself a moment to rest. He was just so damned relieved that he wasn't going to lose this person who meant so much to me.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>"No clue," Clint said with a laugh. "I just know that this is the real deal. I'm scared too, but I think we'll be okay, Tony, if we try."</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Tony surprised him then by snuggling close and pressing a kiss to the top of his head.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>"I think you're right, birdbrain," he chuckled. "We'll be okay if we stick it out together."</span>
</p>
  </div></div>
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